State orders measurement and reporting of water usage in threatened river basins

KENT -- The state Department of Ecology has ordered several local agencies to measure and report the amount of water they are taking from ground and surface sources.

The orders are part of the department's aim to measure 80 percent of the water being used in the state's 16 river basins where fish runs are most threatened.

And the department is targeting areas where water shortages and urban development are causing the most problems for fish.

In South County, the basins affected are the Cedar-Sammamish, Duwamish-Green, and Puyallup-White.

The cities of Kent and Renton, as well as the Kent Parks Department and the Renton Public Works Department have been sent orders to install water-measuring devices and to periodically report the readings to the Department of Ecology.

More orders will be sent to farms, irrigation districts and municipalities through the end of the year.

Many agencies, according to the Department of Ecology, already measure their water use but do not report to the state. Now, they must do so.

For more information, visit the Department of Ecology's Web site: www.ecy.wa.gov.